JOURNAL OF THE COUNTY DONEGAL HISTORICAL SOCIETY in 1729 and was created Lord Altarr..ont. His grandson, the 3rd. Lord Altamont was made Marques Of Sligo for his services in connection with the Union. Hugh .v1or had a number 01 S)~S . . The eldest, Hugh, was unmarried. The second, Francis, had one son, Hugh, who died in tl~e East India ·Company's Servi.:e without. issue. The third was Neal Garve. He was the first of the Clan to embrace the Protes1 ant R.elicP;ion and is entered on the Conv·ert Rolls under date J.4th. November, 1763. It is not k11own what prompted him to ta.ke this course but it is believed that he was influenced by the ex. ample of his kinsman and neighb:mr John Brown, first Lord Alt amont. It is with surprise, therefore. that we Observ·e him donating a free site for the Catholic 1Church at Newport thirty-three years later. Neal Garve had been a local J11agistrate for &ome time and on 2nd. December. 17'80, was created :Baronet. The same year he bought the Cong Estate the •Rncient property of the A:bbey of Cong. for a figure in excess of £30.000. On the l 5th..July, 1785. he concluded the .purchase of the iMedlicott Estate. also cailed Burrishoole Manor, and part of the 0 r m 1a n d pr01perty for £31l589.,19s-4d. In addition he ht>ld lands under lease from the See of Killala and maintained a town house at 15. M e r r i o n ;"ouare. Duhlin. This "fortuitous •acquisition of wealth" has al- ·wavs been the S•lllbject of much speculation. Where the money came from to buy these extensive orome·rties has never been disclosed and remains a mv:stery. Jn. Januarv. 17.92. a Danish warship was forced into New.p·ort •hY storm damat?e. The entire cre1w was struck do.wn with fever and most of them died. The captain, rie Bille. was buried on 17th. .March. military hOn<1urs being rendered by the Newport Volun· teers. under their Colonel. Sir N~a 1 O'Donnell. He must have revised his outlook in the succeeding years as he played a 269. prominent ,part in the supression vf the tlumJbert Rismg not mucu mo:e than a decade laLer. In 17-66 Neal Garve (he had not vet been knighted) married lHary daughter of William Coane of Bally.shannon and had a numerous family. Their eldest son, Hugh, was a Lieutenant-Colonel of the South Mayo·-MilitJ.a and Colonel of the 1'10th. Regiment of the Line, while the next James Mor. follo·wed the duel oe;. cupation Of laiwyer and soldier. He caotained a corps of yeomanry during the Rebellion. Their father paid high prices for the "rotten 'boroughs" of Donegal and Ratoath for ·them and both sat in Grattan's Parliament. They vehemently opposed the Union. N.ither hribes nor so-called honours could induce either to vott for the bill. Colonel Hugh married in 17918. whereupon his father drew up a deed giving himself power to charge the Elstate with a sum of £14,000 to be spent on legacies for his daughters and younger sons and their descendants, besides an annuity of £3.000 to hit; widow. · A tablet to the memory of 1Colonel Hugh O'-Donnell in Newport Protestant Church gives the dated of his death as lst. September. 1798, although there is a record of him having spoken in the Irish Parliament on 22nd. Januarv. 1799. Cantain James Mor was so'11ewhat of a paradox. As a soldier he did not spare himself to suppress the '98 Rising. At the same time .11e turned up ~•t the courtsmartial at Castleibar to CJe fend the ca:ptured rebels with al1 his legal might. This was unpo;lular and led to a charge of 11.gh treason being laid against liim bv Rev.Dr. Benton, Protestant Chaplain to the Mayo Militia. A sworn enquiry followed and he was acquitted. He met an untimely end in a duel with Major Denis Bingham at r:Killanley Glebe. near Enniscrone, Co. s:igo, on 2/ith. Se-ptember, 1806. He was nged 36 years. Sir Neal Garve (lst. Bart.) died on 2nd. January, 1'8;11. The
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